The AFL is representing Australia on a global stage. Whilst this may seem odd to some, it is a reality. The AFL is one of the final three shortlisted nominees in the “Sport Federation or Governing Body of the Year” category at the global Beyond Sport awards.
The AFL ‘entered project’ is its multicultural program.
The winners will be revealed at the September 29-30 summit, this year held in Chicago.
I’m sure all Australian sports fans will wish the AFL luck in it’s category; and be proud that a predominantly single-nation code like the AFL can be recognised on the world stage for its good work.
For the record, the AFL is up against the ‘Galz & Goals’ program from Namibia (soccer) and the ‘NBA Cares’ program from the USA (basketball).
Michael C
Roar Guru
a nice write up on the Danish lads preparations on WFN. Seeing the reference to Mathias Biron returning full of enthusiasm from the U16s World 18 trip to now represent his country in the European Championships, it just makes you hope that next time the DAFL can maybe get 2 or 3 kids involved. It'd be great to see one day a full Euro side, a full America's side and perhaps an Asia and Africa side. Who knows. out of interest - and pertaining to the upcoming US v Canada (49th parallel cup) - - they've also got a couple of good links to articles in the Wall Street Journal (of all places) and the Columbus Local News.........each with a fair example of how, still - - - for some people - - the game IS love at first sight and you do just never know what might happen should the AFL help give the game a real chance in a couple of markets.
Paul J
Guest
Congrats to the AFL for making the final for the “Sport Federation or Governing Body of the Year”. I think the AFL are the best run footy code in Australia. To suggest they are representing Australia on a global scale is an exaggeration though. How many people globally have heard of the “Sport Federation or Governing Body of the Year” award?
Joel
Guest
I'll try again. The two links below contain references to two events in Australian soccer of recent history, one where the governing body of soccer NSW was found to have failed to take action against racism and another where a player was charged with racially sledging another player in the FFA. There appears to be some objection to me posting the details of these events, so you'll have to find them yourself. However, both of your points are clearly wrong. http://www.hreoc.gov.au/racial_discrimination/whats_the_score/pdf/football.pdf http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,22484586-5000940,00.html
Joel
Guest
If you're not going allow my reasonable, valid, on topic and inoffensive responses then you really should delete every comment from the root, otherwise this site becomes complicit in the game the root comment is playing.
Michael C
Roar Guru
Fussball, are you talking only on the football (soccer) pitch?? or not? Mal Brown and Dipper made comments either 20 or 30 years after their respective careers finished. Are you taking responsibility for every past soccer pro player even 20 and 30 years on???? anyway - on behalf of HtheS, the wikipedia page dedicated to racism in Association football and from Israel Israeli soccer saw an increase in violence and racism this season, but efforts to fight these phenomena are also on the rise and Mario Balotelli and Racism in Italian Soccer The Young Star of Italian Football Racially Abused Several Times and this publication from 2007 ANTISEMITISM AND RACISM IN EUROPEAN SOCCER and this story from Jan Unchecked, soccer racism rages on in Italy shall we stop there shall we??? fussball, you evidentally live in some dreamworld with your head in the sand!!!!
Michael C
Roar Guru
what.....and respect for officials too,....like Didier Drogba illustrated!! and racism?, no need then, given your assertion that pro soccer players are effectively angelic on this topic - - so, no need at all then for the secretary general of the UN in March to call that there was "..no room for racist or xenophobic acts" and then in June, totally unneccesary according to Mr.Fussball, we saw Sepp Blatter engaging in overkill by : FIFA president Sepp Blatter called for an end to racism and discrimination in soccer on the eve of the first World Cup finals to be held in Africa at FIFA's 60th annual Congress on Thursday. but, as you say, pro soccer players have a far greater respect for their opponents and none of the above was warranted........and the entire wikipedia page dedicated to racism in soccer is obviously making it all up!!! Fussball...........yes, I'm being facetious, and I'd prefer you keep your Jimbo style holier than though hyperbole on the soccer tabs. Comments like that are tiresome.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Harvey the Scouser - Can you please provide examples/links to the source of your allegation of "racist behaviour OUT on the football pitch in Serie A and La Liga".
Harvey the Scouser
Roar Guru
If anyone wants to see the very depths of racism out on the football pitch, they need go no further than the Serie A and La Liga.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Joel - Racist behaviour on the terraces cannot be controlled by the sporting body and is not a reflection on the sport, but a reflection on the society that makes up those terraces. I'd be disgusted if professional footballers - past or present - came out with similar comments as did former Aussie Rules playes Mal Brown & Dipper or ex-NRL player Andrew Johns. Professional footballers seem to have much greater respect for their opponents.
Michael C
Roar Guru
Fussball - this is a very great generalisation. Mainly because, A. most Aust Footy clubs at local level that I've been involved in or played against have had a very broad coverage of ethnicity and acceptance (I won't say tolerance, as,.....who asks to be merely 'tolerated'??). B. there are 'cultural' dinosaurs everywhere - - with and within particular sports. They are, in the main, relics of a past generation and are having their attitudes marginalised more and more. C. the path forward is in recent times full of good stories of new exposures, i.e. with more Islamic and African kids finding their way into the game. These things rarely happen by accident, and the AFL began a specific focus when it became obvious that the Asian community hadn't 'assimilated' into Aust Footy nearly as well as the Euro/Mediterranean communities had, and without 'affirmative' action, the AFL would be too easily seen as a closed shop.
General Ashnak
Guest
You mean the cricket? Oh, your talking about football... well there was a lot of inter club violence in football (similar to the level we got at ARF games), thankfully though neither ARF or football in Australia has a history of people being killed. Bringing up overseas incidents which whilst admiral does nothing to support your implication that their is racially motivated attacks or comments being made TODAY by football players, commentators and fans in AUSTRALIA.
Joel
Guest
Bull. I really don’t understand why fans of a sport that with such an abysmal record of racial violence would start taking shots at the AFL. It must be some form of masochism.
Michael C
Roar Guru
Chuq - I invited your different opinion WITH a pledge to NOT report anything......i.e., no thinned skinnedness!!! and if the best that you can come up with is some rot in the media rather than the official actions of sports admin bodies,.....then that's not really much to support your inflammatory comment describing AFL’s actions in December 2009, while disgusting. What was more disgusting?? the FFA never ruling out host city exclusions from after late October when the Fairfax soccer media reported rival codes would have to shut down for up to 8 weeks!!! the FFA still hadn't ruled out host city exclusions come May this year when that had to be written into the Govt brokered Memorandum of Understanding. the FFA was quick to rule out a 100% Govt funded and dedicated rectangle stadium designed to expand to 50,000 for a WC,....and yet, even after the AFL promised support back in 2008 with the proviso that Docklands be retained - - the FFA was still fighting for Docklands in March this year when John Brumby was spruiking Geelong and Skilled Stadium. The FFA was far, far more 'disgusting' and 'disrespectful' and 'deceitful'. And the best you've come up with is a photo of Ron Barassi.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Joel & ph I agree the AFL hierarchy is to be applauded for their stance on the issue of racism in Aussie Rules and, in no way, do I criticise them. However, if you have ever spent time at suburban Aussie Rules clubs, you'll soon realise that the views of Mal Brown & Dipper are still strongly prevalent within the Aussie Rules culture.
Harvey the Scouser
Roar Guru
some might be interested in the European Championships to start in aobut 10 days: http://aflcommunityclub.com.au/index.php?id=51&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=74&cHash=a1baea7d16
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Forgetmenot - I've only ever read about Schwarzer being German-Australian or Cahill being Samoan-Australian, when someone specifically asks about their background. I extensively read the Football sports press - both locally and abroad - and I never hear the Aussie players talk about their heritage. If it's ever mentioned in an article, I'd be more interested in questioning the motives of the reporter/journalist.
Michael C
Roar Guru
Moonface - good one, it's possibly funny, it's possibly insightful, it may well be near to the mark......and even if so, is that a bad thing??
pH
Guest
So out of the 3 finalists - what is the likelihood of the AFL winning vs the soccer and basketball oriented other finalists?
pH
Guest
I don't think the AFL use Mal Brown to "represent the league" in any way. Mal Brown makes his own way in media and past players events. Dipper had been squeaky clean and kid friendly and politically correct in public until his outburst. As the article shows, the AFL is taking his re-education very seriously, and rightly so - it is the mellowing and changing of old social dinosaurs and racist views that still permeate this country (e.g. the shrill voices against boat people - even though we're pretty much all boat people apart from indigenous Australians) that the AFL seems to be determined to shift. And good on them, pity it didn't happen 30 years ago, but better late than never.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
Classic! Keep up the good work.